Mark E Moon – Old Blood (Album – Cold Transmission Music)
Genre/Influences: Cold-Wave, Gothic.
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.
Background/Info: Hailing from the Isle Of Man, Mark Sayle and Phil Reynolds strike back with their second full length. The work appears to be an engaging album about the human condition and the fight against fascism, which stands for the title “Old Blood”.
Content: “Old Blood” holds on the music influences revealed on the debut opus “Refer”. The music remains driven by some good-old 80s reminiscences, which might remind you of legendary formations such as The Mission and The Sisters Of Mercy. The guitar playing, by its typical mewing and melancholic sound, brings these memories alive. The songs have been accomplished by Electronic arrangements, which are often injecting a melodic and heavenly final touch to the composition. The production of the vocals has this deep timbre, which is perfectly matching with the music.
+ + + : Mark E Moon didn’t change a successful formula, but clearly remains a band devoted to the 80s Cold-Wave style. They perfectly know how to bring this dark era back alive. I get the impression that the songs feature more electronic arrangements than the previous work, but it creates a complementary effect with the guitar. There are several cool songs featured, but I would especially recommend “Salvation”, which sounds pretty The Mission-like, “Human” featuring excellent female backing vocals and “Goodbye” for its more explicit melodic touch.
– – – : I didn’t get a similar surprising effect as for the debut album, but Mark E Moon remains a great ambassador of contemporary Cold-Wave music.
Conclusion: I personally prefer Mark E Moon’s debut album “Refer” although I still recommend this work, which is a great one as well.
Best songs: “Salvation”, “Human”, “Goodbye”, “The Eye (The Picture Fades)”, “Oblivion”.
Rate: (8).
Artist: www.facebook.com/MarkEMoon1
Label: www.coldtransmission.com / www.facebook.com/coldtransmissionmusic
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